Finnish Ilmatar Windpower deploys Genelec Smart IP speakers at its headquarters
Ilmatar Windpower, offering public wind energy services, has sustainable AV solutions, with an IP audio solution Genelec deployed by 4Business Oy.
Ilmatar Windpower is a different Finnish utility company, focused on helping combat climate change and its effects on society and the environment, con suministro de energía eólica limpia y asequible.
The company has recently moved to a new headquarters in Helsinki, designed according to sustainable practices with the aim of achieving maximum efficiency and well-being for employees and processes.
In this process they have had the specialist in audiovisual solutions 4Business Oy for the design and installation of new equipment in the new facilities, which included a solution audio IP smart Genelec.
One of the main issues that needed to be addressed from an audio perspective was hearing comfort in Ilmatar's open workspaces.. However, One of the problems inherent to any open workspace is the lack of privacy and noise from other places in the environment..
Ilmatar wanted to create the most comfortable and efficient work environment possible in its open plan areas., so the acoustic behavior in these spaces was a fundamental element to deal with..
“The lobby and open work areas, as well as the meeting rooms and offices are exceptionally well designed from an acoustic point of view, with optimal reverberation times - explains Janne Lankinen, de 4Business Oy-. There are also absorbent screens between the tables and background noise caused by ventilation has been minimized”.
However, Although these measures help considerably “they cannot solve the problem completely. To achieve optimal results we design and implement a system of sound masking tailored - adds Lankinen- tailored specifically to Ilmatar requirements, starting with a high-quality audio solution”.
Based on detailed coverage simulations, 4Business implemented a complete Genelec audio system, with a total of twenty speakers 4420 Smart IP distributed in two separate open spaces. “We select the solution Smart IP from Genelec because it met all the client's quality criteria, both at a sound and material level, in addition to being the most sustainable audio solution available”, assure Lankinen.
Smart IP technology platform supplies power, audio and control through a single CAT cable over a digital audio network - in this case Dante -, which makes them very easy to install and ensures that the systems are fully scalable.
“The entire venue's speaker system was individually measured with a room acoustics analysis system, which was fine-tuned with Genelec's Smart IP Manager software to ensure the most transparent audio playback possible - continues Lankinen -. Apart from the technical criteria, The fact that Genelec is an indigenous Finnish brand and manufactures in the country according to sustainable principles was also extremely important for Ilmatar”.
The deployment of the masking signal itself fell to Pury Survo, sound designer and composer, who planned the signal to be as nice and uniform as possible: an ambient background sound that mimics airflow and is specifically created to match human speech frequencies and sound comfortable.
The sound is audible but not intrusive and serves to reduce the intelligibility of speech in the environment. Close conversations or phone calls are no longer a distraction, which guarantees the comfort and privacy of all involved.
“A high-quality sound system and careful spatial measurement of the audio signal prevented the ‘efecto whoosh’, a problem that arises with low quality speakers and an incorrect type of audio signal - Lankinen clarifies -. The masking system generates a signal multichannel audio, avoiding sound distortion caused by differences in speaker distance that often occurs with mono sound masking systems”.
In addition to sound masking, Ilmatar had another objective: create a unique atmosphere that reflected the company's spirit of working with nature to preserve it. A generative soundscape was created for the entrance hall that emulates a natural marine environment, with sounds of the sea, seagulls and, of course, the wind, and was implemented using a WSP multichannel soundscape player and eight active speakers Genelec 4430 Smart IP.
Virtual nature is created with algorithms that imitate the mechanisms and timelines of the natural world, with the goal that the soundscape remains as authentic as possible and avoids playlist-type repetition. A relaxing four-channel forest soundscape has also been designed for the cafe area, equipped with four Genelec 4430 white in color.
Mikko Toivanen, vp. and co-founder of Ilmatar Windpower Oy, He does not hide his satisfaction with the result: “our goal was to create the best office in Finland for our staff; make the most of new technologies in terms of comfort and ease of use, and this has been achieved”.
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